Thursday

Apr 18, 2019 at 1:50 PMApr 18, 2019 at 2:01 PM

Fabrizio Stabile died in September from a brain-eating amoeba 13 days after visiting a surf park near Waco, Texas. Now, his mother is filing a wrongful death suit against the Texas company she says is responsible for his death.

Rita Stabile is seeking more than $1 million in damages from Parsons Barefoot Ski Ranch (BSR) after she says her 29-year-old son died from the infection, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The infection occurs when contaminated water makes its way into the body.

According to the Express-News, the civil suit, which was filed on April 9 in McLennan County District Court, says BSR could have prevented her son’s death “had they exercised ordinary care in the operation of their water park.”

Test results from health officials concluded that there were conditions “favorable” for the amoeba at the BSR Cable Park and Stabile’s exposure to it “likely occurred” there. The suit says the park’s “blue-green dyed waves masked a pathogen soup” where the brain-eating amoeba could thrive, according to MySA.

Park owner Stuart Parsons said in an email to the Express-News that operators put chemicals in the water to make it safe and that the amoeba was not found in the surf park water. According to health officials, the amoeba — which rarely infects people — was not found in the water but was found in one of the four attractions at the waterpark.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Fab,” Parsons wrote in an email to the Express-News. “Only God knows where he got the ameoba (sic).”

A new water filtration system was installed in the surf park after Stabile’s death and the park is now open for surfers, according to the park’s Facebook page.

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